After Dark
by Dramione Productions
Summary: A simple game of 'Wizards Truth or Dare' from Fred and George gives Hermione, Ginny, and Luna one interesting night, especially when Hermione has to do something she never expected. "Sneak out after dark and kiss Malfoy! He's always out after dark. In the Potions classroom, alone." /Draco x Hermione/Blaise x Ginny/Rated M for language/Mostly fluff/
1. In the Dark

**A/N: Hey guys! Before we get on with the story, if any of my other stories are squished together or glitching, please stay with me! I'm trying to fix them!** **Anyways, the beginning is a bit out of place for the character of Hermione, but that's the only way to kick start the story. Please forgive me...**

 **This takes place in Half-blood Prince.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise. It belongs to J. K. Rowling**

 **Disclaimer 2.0: My writing may not be the best it can be, and it is not edited. Be warned.**

* * *

The three girls sat in the Gryffindor Common room, with no one else to be seen. "Alright, Truth or dare, Hermione?" Ginny grinned. She lived for this game, and was most eager to see what Hermione would pick. Probably Truth, considering the prude she is. Hey, sometimes, a friend's gotta be honest.

"What? Since when did I get involved!?" Hermione protested. She was sitting near the crackling fireplace and was doing extra credit for Professor Flitwick. An entire three page essay about the creation and meaning of Wingardium Leviosa. _"Simple enough," thought Hermione. "We've been doing it since first year._ "

"Well, since I asked you, you're magically in the game. It's the wizard's version, 'Mione." Ginny grinned.

Luna, who had been quietly sitting near Ginny for the past how-many-hours that Hermione had been working on her essay, smiled. "I think you should try, Hermione. It's a great confidence booster!"

"Well it's also a great way to lose a couple hundred House Points and get kicked out of Hogwarts!" Hermione replied, sarcastically. She shook her head quietly and began working on the almost-completed essay.

Ginny simply sighed, before telling her the cold, hard truth. "Hermione, this version of the game is from Fred and George. It's a prototype they asked me to try and it apparently works, as far as I know. It's truth and dare-" Ginny gulped, "with a punishment for those who don't choose or chicken out. It'll be worse than the Punching Telescope, and the only remedy is time. The only way to stop the game, is well, I'm not telling." Ginny smirked at the mortified look on Hermione's face. She knew that she had been victim to one of the Telescopes before, and this was perfect bait, although she wasn't exaggerating.

"I, um, oh fine! Truth." Hermione huffed, sliding towards the giggling duo. In between them was a small mechanism that seemed to be running this entire game. _"Get rid of that and stop the game." Hermione thought._

Luna and Ginny whispered into each other's ears, before nodding in agreement.

"We all know you like someone, Hermione, but you never spilled who-" Luna began. Hermione had and automatic feeling of worry drip down her spine. "So, we want to ask who the lucky man is," Luna smiled, oblivious to Ginny's snickering and Hermione's crimson face.

"Is it Ron? Can't be Harry, he's my ex-" Ginny gasped. "It's Harry, isn't it? That's why you didn't tell us! You were scared of our reaction!"

"No! it's um, Ron." Hermione lied. Within a few seconds, the mechanism made a snapping sound and slapped Hermione's withdrawn hand, which was placed on the posh floors.

"Ow! What was that-"

"You lied! Tell us the truth!" Ginny giggled. She had a person in mind, but they were only suspicions.

"You could've told me that was going to slap me-"

"You would've avoided it then-"

"Yeah right, like I could-"

"Stop. You're both very noisy. Answer the question, Hermione." Luna wearily said. She was getting quite bored.

"Don't laugh, but it's-" Hermione sucked in a deep breath, Ginny holding hers. "Malfoy."

The mechanism didn't do anything, and Ginny squealed.

"I knew it! I had a hitch about you two, but I didn't''t believe it. But to be honest, whenever you two fight, the sexsual tension is practically dripping from you guys!"

"Aren't you with Ron?" Luna asked, almost unfazed by the news.

Hermione gulped and realised the mess she created. She and Ron had been dating for over 3 months now, but something died and she just saw Ron for what he used to be. Just a friend, and she didn't have the heart to break up with him. She plainly nodded her head.

"Then... Why are you still with him?!" Ginny blurted.

"I... I don't know how to break up with him, Ginny! He just... I don't know Ginny. I just don't know." Hermione sighed.

"You're the smartest witch of the age. You'll figure something out." Ginny smiled, reassuringly.

"Truth or Dare, Ginny?" Luna grinned.

Ginny twiddled her thumbs, before answering, "Truth."

"Who do _you_ like?" Hermione smirked slightly. She needed revenge on Ginny for teasing her extensively about Draco.

* * *

 _"Oh I bet his grey, stormy eyes just pierce through yours, and makes you feel jelly at the knees. I'll bet your knickers are already we-"_

 _"Ginny!_ _Honestly!" Hermione admonished, but everything Ginny said was decently true. She just didn't need to feel lovesick for a guy who would never love her back. She was still a mudblood._

* * *

"Oh, um, Harry... you know..."

 _slap_ * Went the mechanism, before Ginny held her hand in slight pain.

"He's your ex! How in the world do you like your ex if you were the one who broke up with him?"

"Okay fine. And by the way, Harry was cheating so... Zabini. There I said it." Ginny huffed, almost if that was a chore.

Hermione's mouth dropped and even Luna was slightly shocked, but their personalities were almost identical, except for the part that Blaise always shrieked when he heard Ginny scream anything about a 'Bat Boogey Hex' and Ginny liked to say it a lot, just to annoy him.

"Close your mouth, Hermione. Flies _will_ fly into it and if they don't, I'll make them," Ginny snarled, in which Hermione immediately closed her mouth.

" _I can feel the sexsual tension practically dripping from you guys!_ " Hermione mocked, before getting gently slapped on the arm by-not the mechanism- but Ginny herself.

"Shuddup."

"Seems about right. If you were with Blaise, it makes sense. Harry was always in control of the relationship, and now you can be in control of Blaise if you yell 'Bat Boogey Hex' all the time!" Luna grinned, laughing lightly.

An eruption of laughter burst from Hermione, stopping for a minute to tell the angry ginger, "sorry," before continuing.

"Luna, Truth or Dare?" Ginny suddenly asked, changing the subject.

"Truth."

"Who do you like?" Hermione continued, reading Ginny's mind.

"Oh, that's easy. Neville, of course."

"Him?! he's scared of everything!" Ginny blurted.

"Ah, yes, but he's a sweetheart. He treats everyone so nicely." Luna sighed dreamily.

"And someone's in love!" Hermione laughed.

"I think we all are, Hermione. Anyways, Truth or Dare? If you pick Truth, I have one that'll make you turn red-er than fire," Ginny smirked.

Hermione gulped, and decided, maybe she should live a little for once.

"Dare."

"Alright, sneak out after dark-" Hermione gasped at Ginny's preposition, "-and kiss Malfoy! He's always out after dark! In the Potions room, alone."

"What, no! In no way am I doing that!"

The mechanism snapped and slapped Hermione, causing her to wince.

"Fine. I guess. I get to take a Potions textbook for an excuse."

"Yes! We'll stop the game now and you tell us every detail." Ginny grinned mischievously.

Hermione quietly entered the halls, not seeing anyone walking through them.

"Maybe I could stop now..." Hermione whispered.

"Stop what?" Another voice replied. One that sounded a lot like...

"Malfoy! I... um..."

"Trying to rat me out for Scar-face? Nice try. I don't give out so easily. What's with the Potions book anyway?" Draco smirked. The Gryffindor's eyes stared right at him, catching the moonlight just enough to make them glow.

"No.. and it's for... uh..."

"Trying to find me, hm? Well, you found me. What do you want?" Draco abruptly asked.

"How did you know?" Hermione gasped.

"No one looks for Professor Snape at this time-"

"Except for you. What do your even do in the classroom?"

"Ratting me out for Potter, I knew it. Naughty girl, aren't you? Lying about asking and then asking, tsk tsk tsk. I'm going if you're just going to waste my time." Draco turned to leave, before he felt a small pair of hands grab his wrist.

"Wait."

He turned to face her, before she got up on her tippy toes and gently pecked his lips. Hermione pulled back quickly and a warm blush grew on her cheeks. Draco's mouth was slightly agape and he looked at her questioningly.

"Close your mouth idiot, it was just a Dare."

Footsteps were heard far away, along with a dot of light, when Draco closed his mouth abruptly and grabbed her wrist. "Come with me," he whispered.

The footsteps grew louder and Hermione nodded. Quietly following Draco, they slipped into a tight corner, Hermione's body pressed against his. The footsteps stopped and faded off, before she realised the awkward position and tried to get out. Draco tried to stop her, but she resisted and Draco placed his lips against hers, much to her surprise.

Her eyes were wide open, as Draco pulled back.

"Wait. They still might be here."

"I thought you hated my mudblood filth, hm?"

"I was just trying to save your perfect detention record. Don't fall in love with me, it meant nothing." Draco winked.

" _Too bad I already did," thought Hermione._

* * *

 **A/N: Yay! The promised new story! First chapter is a little short and rushed, but... yeah. Review? Thanks!**

 **SIncerely, Dramione Productions**


	2. A Little Love

**A/N: Another update! Whoop! I'm just gonna get started.** **Same disclaimers as before... By the way, my writing style might change** ( **i.e. Italics are usually for thoughts, flashbacks, and writing/letters written within the story. Bold is rarely used excepts for author notes.** )

* * *

"No way! He kissed you again?" Ginny gasped. The two girls were sitting at the Gryffindor table, waiting for Harry and Ron.

"Shh! He'll hear you!" Hermione hushed. She stabbed her waffles quietly. Hermione glanced over her shoulder at Draco, who was seemed to be in an heated argument with Pansy. The doors opened and Harry and Ron appeared with large smiles on their faces.

"Hello, 'Mione." Ron smiled, planting a kiss on Hermione's cheek.

"Good morning!" Harry smiled. Ginny eyeballed him angrily. It had only been a couple weeks since he got together with Cho Chang again, and she refused to talk to him.

Harry was clutching the Potions textbook in his hand, and Hermione gave him a look.

"Didn't you say you would be putting that back?" Hermione asked.

"Well, I put my brand-new copy in the pile, which is in a much better condition that this ratty one." Harry answered confidently.

"Harry! Honestly, that book is going to get you in trouble!" Hermione sighed.

"Anyways, what did you guys do last night? I heard you giggling loudly downstairs." Ron asked, his mouth full with chewed-up chicken.

The girls shared a glance and bit their lips. "Uh... I'm full. I'll be in the library." Hermione gathered her book bag and rushed off.

"I'll be with Hermione!" Ginny laughed nervously, before dashing off to find Hermione.

The boys looked at each other, before shrugging. Ron, of course, continued to dig into the roast chicken sitting in front of him.

* * *

"I can't tell Harry, Hermione! He'll think I'm trying to make him jealous!" Ginny sighed. Hermione flipped through a book, but symphatised with her friend.

"And I can't tell Ron... I just... can't." Hermione groaned.

"So, tell me about the kiss?" Ginny wiggled her eyebrows.

"It meant nothing, Gin. It was just a small, innocent kiss. Even Draco himself said it meant nothing." Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Oh come on! Nothing can get pass me, you loved it!"

"Fine! I did like it! Happy?"

"Very. Now, we have potions with the Slytherins, so you'll have to sit next to Draco." Ginny smirked at Hermione.

* * *

Hermione entered the Potions class first, and sat at the very front, as always. Professor Slughorn, greeted her with a smile, and went back to his book. Hermione looked around nervously, when Draco Malfoy entered the classroom. He looked at Hermione, paused, and sat next to her.

"Malfoy?!" She whispered questioningly.

He didn't reply. Hermione looked at him, before gently poking him in the arm.

"What!?" Draco hissed. He pulled his Potions textbook from his book bag, completely disregarding Hermione's frustration.

"You can't sit here!" Hermione replied as more students started to arrive.

"And why is that?" Draco smirked. He winked at a Slytherin girl, who blushed, and whispered something into the ear of a classmate.

"Because of last night! Besides, Harry and Ron are going to kill you!" Hermione replied, rolling her eyes at Draco's playboy ways. Draco raised an eyebrow at her.

"Don't you want to talk about it? I bet you absolutely loved it." He teased. Hermione blushed slightly, but shook her head.

It was during this conversation, when Ginny had taken the seat in front of her. She sat there, admiring the annoyingly cute argument. When Blaise took the spot in front of Draco, however, their presence was brought to the attention of Draco and Hermione.

"Merlin's beard, would the two of you stop quarreling like an old couple?!" Blaise groaned. Ginny slapped his arm angrily.

"Ow! That hurt, Weasley!"

"Oh, stop complaining, you little girl."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Who's the old couple now?" Draco smirked.

Harry and Ron had entered, before gasping at their choice of seating. " 'Mione? Ginny?" Harry raised and eyebrow.

"Uh... It's a long story, Harry." Hermione nerviously smiled.

"We need an explination." Ron grumbled, glaring at Draco. Draco rolled his eyes at Ron, before turning back to Hermione.

"So, about the kiss..." Draco placed a propped up fist under his chin, smirking in Hermione's direction.

Hermione blushed. "It meant nothing! Seriously Malfoy, stop assuming that every girl likes you." She rolled her eyes.

Draco leaned closer, his face centimeters away from hers."But what if it's true?" He whispered. Hermione held her breath slightly, before Slughorn got up to start class.

"Alright class! We'll be learning about love potions today. Please, come closer to my desk. Who here can tell me about Amortentia?" Slughorn asked. Hermione's hand immedietly shot up, as Draco swiftly avoided being slapped by her.

"Ms. Granger?"

"It's the world's strongest love potion. It has a pearly sheen, and steam that rises from it rises in a swirly formation. It's supposed to smell like things that attract you the most." Hermione answered proudly.

"Excellent, Ms. Granger! 10 points to Gryffindor! However, Amortentia doesn't really create love, of course. It is impossible to manufacture or imitate love. No, this will simply cause a powerful infatuation or obsession. It is probably the most dangerous and powerful potion in this room – oh yes," he said, nodding gravely at Draco and Blaise, both of whom were smirking sceptically. "When you have seen as much of life as I have, you will not underestimate the power of obsessive love..."

Slughorn paused, before smiling at Hermione.

"Why, Ms. Granger, why don't you tell us what you smell?"

Hermione paused, before walking closer to the cauldron. "Uh, well, I smell freshly mown grass and new parchment and –" Hermione stopped.

"Well, Ms. Granger?"

"Um, and - mint, Professor Slughorn." Hermione whispered. A quiet giggle burst from everyone except Ron, Ginny, and Harry. Ron was currently questioning his girlfriend's choice of smell, and Harry was equally confused. Ginny, however, was practically bursting at the seams with happiness.

 _Ron doesn't like mint, though. In fact, he hates it. And Malfoy... He smells like a walking breathmint..._ Hermione thought. "Thank you, Ms. Granger. You may all sit back at your tables. We'll be making Draught of Living Death, and the person who can make the best potion, well, they'll earn enough Felix Felicis." Slughorn grinned. Hermione's mouth fell open."Ms. Granger, would you like to tell us what Felix Felicis does?"

"Well, it makes the drinker lucky. Everything they wish for will come true, and they'll experience a surge of 'hapiness'. However, is you drink too much, you'll become overly stubborn. Because of it's good fortune, the potion is banned from multiple compitions, such as Quidditch." Hermione recited. Draco snickered.

"Good job, Ms. Granger. However, Mr. Malfoy, you've cost Slytherin 5 points." Slughorn sighed, before waving his hands. "Please start. You'll have 1 hour to complete the task."

Blaise glared at Draco. "Mate, you've cost us 5 points! We're already falling behind Gryffindor." Blaise grumbled.

"The Slytherins are always behind the Gryffindors." Hermione announces, breaking the slight quarrel between the boys. She had already opened her textbook and the ingredients were laid out in front of her.

Draco stood behind her and stared at her textbook over her shoulder. His slow, steady breaths fell on her shoulder and Hermione looked at him from the corner of her eye. He had the same piercing stare as the night before, but his focus was clearly on something else.

"Uh, Malfoy... You're kind of in my space..." Hermione hesistantly squeaked. Draco was now staring at the blushing and very nervous girl in front of him.

"Well, Granger, you didn't mind being close to me last night." He whispered into her ear. Hermione rolled her eyes and elbowed him in the stomache. Draco clutched the sore area, while narrowing his eyes at Hermione.

"Now, are you going to make yourself useful or sit there like a lazy slob?" Hermione asked. She looked away from Draco, and saw not only Ginny, but Blaise also, staring at them.

"Well? Aren't you two going to work on your potion?" Hermione sighed. The pair nodded, and quickly headed to work.

Hermione turned back to Draco, who had already begun to work on the potion.

He had already added the Infusion of Wormwood and the powdered Root of Asphodel, and was preparing the Sloth Brain. Hermione stared at the potion, then Draco, then at the textbook. She grabbed a silver dagger and began to cut the Sopophorous Bean, which showed to be unsucsessful.

Draco took a sideways glance at Hermione, who was struggling to even puncture the bean. The Sopophorous Bean seemed to have a mind of it's own, as it idly jumped from one location to another. Frustation was clearly brewing in Hermione, and he could see it. Draco looked at his best friend and the red-head in front of him, who were having the same issue as them.

He took a glance at Harry, who easily squeezed the juice into his potion. Draco snorted.

Hermione looked at Draco, then in the direction Draco was looking in. "How is Harry doing that!?" Hermione grumbled.

"Calm down, Granger. He's probably cheating." Draco shrugs.

Hermione glared at him. "No! It must be that stupid book of his! Ugh!" Hermione groaned, grabbing her hair.

"Granger, calm down. We'll figure something out-"

"Alright, students! Time to see who is about to get lucky!" Slughorn announced, chuckling at his own joke. Of course, he went to Harry first and checked his potion.

"My, my... One drop of Harry's potion could knock us all out in a minute!" Slughorn smiled. "I think Harry wins the Felix Felicis, do you not agree?"

Hermione sighs, quietly aplauding as Slughorn hands the Felix Felicis to Harry. He smiled at her, and she threw on a fake smile.

"Well, you seem to be able to make Potter believe you're actually happy." Draco comes up behind her, smirking again.

Hermione turned around and jumped slightly. "Malfoy! You arse!" She scolded him.

 _"Does he not get tired of smirking?"_ Hermione thought.

"Calm down, Granger. Seriously." He rolled his eyes. Draco placed his hands on the side of her shoulders and looked at her. "You can't win all the time."

Hermione bit her lip and looked away, blushing furiously. Draco was dangerously close, almost as if he wanted to re-create the night before. She swiped his hands away.

"It simply means I'm not good enough. I'll just have to practice." Hermione huffs.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Then I'm staying here."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Why, exactly?"

He shrugged. "Maybe I can learn a thing or two."

* * *

 **A/N: So... A kind of long update for you guys! I'll try to keep my updates long, and hopefully fast...**

 **Review? Please? Thanks! :)**

 **Sincerely, Dramione Productions.**


	3. Caught

**A/N: Okay, I realized that I should clear something up. The reason Hermione is judging her Amortentia smell is because she's in denial that she likes Draco. Because of the kiss, she thinks that he doesn't like her, so she's trying to shove her feelings deep down.**

 **Anyways, that's about it. I don't have much to say, but I'm thankful for all the people who looked at my fanfiction :) Thanks! Same disclamers as before. Now, on with the story.**

* * *

Professor Slughorn had recently left the class, deciding that Hermione was mature enough to take care of the class and deal with Draco. However, that decision was one that Hermione was furious about. She didn't need Draco pestering her when she was trying to beat Harry.

Draco looked at the brunette next to him, and questioned his choice.

 _"What are you going to get out of this, huh? Besides, you have a task to complete, but you're sitting here with a_ _mudblood."_ A voice inside of him screamed.

"Well, aren't you going to help?" Hermione huffed, working on the potion.

"Nope." He smirked.

"Then what are you doing here, you ferret?" Hermione scowled.

"Gee, you do have a nasty temper. I just wanted to learn about potion making." Draco said innocently.

Hermione narrowed her eyes and continued to stir her potion. Little locks of her hair had flowastray from her bun as she blew them out of the way.

Draco simply continued looking at her, and before he could stop himself, he gently tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

Hermione swiftly turned to face him, and Draco moved his hand away quickly.

"Don't touch me." She scowled slightly. Deep down, however, she enjoyed his attention.

"You didn't mind when I was kissing you last night." He whispered. A small smirk crept over his face, as he leaned in closer. He propped his elbow up on the table and rested his head on his closed hand.

Hermione searched her mind for something to say, before blurting the first thing that came to mind. "You can't stop smirking, can you?"

Draco's smirk grew larger, before he placed his arm around her waist and pulled her towards him. Hermione realised what was about to happen and started to pound his chest with her fists.

"I'm afraid that I'm much more stronger than you, Granger."

She glared at him and grabbed her wand from the desk, before poking his chest with it.

"How about now?" She frowned.

"Well, now, that's not fair, is it?"

"It's not like you've ever played fair, Malfoy."

Draco placed his forefinger under her chin and lifted it, giving him a better look of her forceful glare.

He felt the pressure of the wand against his chest loosen and he leant in even closer.

The quiet bubbling of the potion and the slow, heavy breaths of the pair filled the classroom. Suddenly, there was tapping of footsteps outside of the classroom, causing Hermione and Draco to frantically untangle from their embrace.

"Well, my students are doing pretty well, but I'm afraid that I'll have to close the classroom for the night. Head off back to your dorms." Professor Slughorn shooed. With a wave of his wand, the mess was gone.

Draco brushed the back of his neck and nodded, walking off. Hermione grabbed her textbooks and began to chase after Draco, before Professor Slughorn stopped her.

"Be careful of that one, dear. He bites." He said, with no context. He placed his hand on her shoulder.

"W-what..?"

"You know who I mean. He's not safe."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Goodnight, Professor Slughorn."

"Goodnight, Ms. Granger."

* * *

The special Head Boy and Girl dorms were connected to their respective common rooms, but were kept seperate. The rooms lined up against a curved wall with a balcony. Hermione's took a glance at Draco's dorm, which was right next to hers. Hermione walked up to her dorm.

"Well, looks like you decided to come back tonight." The portrait spoke.

Hermione jumped back, slightly startled.

"You don't usually talk, Angelica Schuyler."

"I mean, you don't usually pay attention to me, just because I'm an immigrant portrait." She rolls her eyes.

"So, how's it going with Alexander?" Hermione smiles, eyeing the portrait on Draco's door. The man was sleeping softly.

"I told you, he's married to my sister."

Hermione shrugged and procceded to whisper her password.

"Jane."

The portrait swung open and Hermione stepped into her dorm.

"Goodnight, Angelica." Hermione smiled at her as she closed.

She sighed loudly and sat on a red, velvet couch.

The dorm was fairly grand, the couch sitting near a corner of a room. There was a soft carpet beneath the couch, which covered most of the floor. A few still image paintings scattered the walls of the room. A small kitchen was in a corner of the room, with pots and pans displayed.

Hermione took off her tie and walked to her bedroom. A four post bed with curtains sat square in the middle of the room, covered with a red blanket. Her chest sat to the right of the bed, with the on-suite bathroom to her left.

Hermione plopped onto her bed and stared at the entrance on her right.

To her surprise, there was three loud knocks at the portrait.

Two thoughts raced between her mind.

" _1\. Who the hell knocks on a portrait? Angelica's going to kill them._

 _2\. And at this time?"_

She walked to her portrait and opened it.

"Hello Granger." Draco smirked, leaning on the door frame.

"You're such an idiot for knocking on the portrait." Hermione bluntly stated. Angelica had left the portrait.

"I got something to tell you." Draco winked. Hermione snorted. _"Did he not hear anything I said?"_

"What the bloody hell do you wan-"

And his lips were on hers, warm and soft.

Draco relished this moment. He savoured every side of her small, perfect lips. He deepened the kiss and smirked slightly when he heard a tiny moan.

Hermione's eyes were wide open for a second, and closed. She opened them a tad, before pushing Draco away suddenly. His eyes flung open, and he raised an eyebrow at her reaction.

"Ron! I-I..."

"Well, you really are a slut, aren't you?" The red-head angrily announced. He whispered his password to his portrait and entered the dorm next to Hermione's.

* * *

 **Welppp just realised I used Snape in the first chapter... I'M SORRY :'( I'm too lazy to change it tho xD. Also, I threw some Hamilton in there... :D**

 **Review? It's a bit short, I know. I still hope you enjoy.**

 **Sincerely, Dramione Productions.**


	4. Cuts and Confessions

**A/N: Oh my, it's been a while. How have you guys been? I've been caught up in a giant writers block and life hasn't been kind, but maybe I'll try to update more often?** **By the way, thank you everyone who's stuck around! You guys are truly amazing. In the time I've been gone, this story picked up a lot of traction, and I'm so grateful for the comments you leave. Anyways, on with the story!**

* * *

"What the hell did Weasel say?" Draco muttered, his voice thick with anger. He knew very well what he said, but his brain wanted to double check, just in case the red-head hadn't completely lost his mind.

"It's nothing Malfoy, honestly. It's all my fault, I didn't break up with him first and-," Hermione sputtered, her mumbling fading off as she rubbed her temples.

"Still, it gives him no right to say that about you," Draco replied. He let out a frustrated sigh and looked at Hermione, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

She rubbed her arms nervously, before Draco broke the silence.

"He's been sleeping with Brown, by the way. I think for three months now?" He quietly informed. Hermione looked at him with glassy eyes.

"Well, I'm not surprised. What am I supposed to do? It's not like I have the energy to break them up."

Revenge flickered in his silver eyes, before Draco finally spoke. "I better go."

With a quick peck and a wave, Draco placed his hands in his pockets, before walking off. Hermione stood there, confused with the abrupt end, before watching him walk to Ron's dorm and knocking instead of to his own dorm. Within seconds, Hermione witnessed Draco get pulled into the dorm and the portrait closing loudly behind him.

"This can't be good," Hermione muttered, before rushing to the dorms.

"Password?" The portrait asked.

"Uhh, Molly?" Hermione tried, figuring that Ron would use the same password for his dorms as he did for everything.

"You may enter."

With a soft click, Hermione entered the dorm, only to see Draco's fist fly directly into Ron's face.

* * *

Even though Draco had told Hermione he was leaving, he had other thoughts in his mind, such as beating the dumb Weasel until his head cracked open and he bled out.

Of course, if Hermione had heard that, she would have stopped him almost inmediately, so that would have ruined his idea.

With three short knocks on the side of the portrait, Draco was prepared to take revenge.

"Malfoy, what the hell?!" Ron answered, annoyance spreading across his face.

"Weasel, do I have a bone to pick with you-"

And with a swift motion, Ron yanked the blonde into his dorms.

The red-head threw a fast punch, and the blonde blocked it easily, catching his fist. However, Ron slammed him into a wall and nearly broke the ferret's nose.

He smacked Ron square in the face, giving him a bloody nose, before throwing repeated punches at him.

"Don't. You. Ever. Call. Granger. That. Again!" He snarled, before pushing him to the ground.

Ron laughed manically, his smile astray from the giant cuts on his upper right lip.

"Merlin, Malfoy. I didn't know you would do so much for a little fuck of yours," he slurred, smirking.

Draco growled. "Fuck you."

He mashed his fist right on his face, just as Hermione walked in.

* * *

"DRACO LUCIUS MALFOY AND RON BILLIUS WEASLEY!" She cried, her hands on both sides of her hips.

"Oh hello love," Draco grinned, as Ron took this as a chance to smash his head.

"RONALD!"

"Take him back to your humble abode," Ron muttered, shoving Draco's weak body off of him.

"I will gladly, you dick."

With a piercing glare, she muttered a charm to help Draco stand, and helped him back to her dorms.

* * *

Hermione gently placed him on her bed, as he groaned in pain. She propped him up with a few pillows, before rushing to find her first-aid kit.

"Malfoy, what in the world did you do?! More importantly, why?" She angrily whispered, sitting next to him and opening the kit. Grabbing a healing potion and some gauze, she gently started to prepare a makeshift bandage, before muttering. "This is going to hurt."

With gentle pats, she applied the potion to his knuckles as Draco stiffled a yelp.

"I did it because I care, Granger. My mother taught me to protect those I care about," he answered simply, as though the words wouldn't shock her.

They did though, and Hermione stopped patting for a minute. She rubbed her cheeks, attempting to get rid of the vicious blush, before looking at him angrily.

"I can take care of myself, thank you very much!"

"You didn't do anything when he called you a slut. Hell, you didn't even flinch."

"Shut up."

Hermione tied a gauze around his fist and stared at him for a bit. "Take off your, uh, shirt, um, please."

Draco smirked. "Getting undressed so quickly? Not that I mind but damn, I didn't take you as a fast one," he teased. He took off his shirt however (he was darn glad he concealed his Dark Mark), and Hermione felt the wind getting knocked out of her. How could a sixteen year old be so terribly in shape? Draco sat casually, his muscles gently curving. His abs were very prominent and very shapely, as was the rest of his body. Draco shifted his back to face her and his entire body rippled.

"Why did you kiss me today?" She asked suddenly, her heart thunping loudly. "And why do you even care about me?"

Hermione began to clean most of the dried blood off his skin and bandaged the cuts and bruises he had. Muttering a simple cleaning charm, she gave him back his uniform shirt.

Draco bit his bottom lip before hesistently answering.

"I kissed you because I wanted to see your reaction." Lies. He missed her. "I care about you because heck, if you weren't around, Hogwarts would be too easy. I need a little challenge," he smirked, turning around to wink at her. "How about you? You could've easily tossed me to Pomfrey," he asked.

"I don't know, Malfoy. I just... I feel butterflies around you, I always want to see you, and I miss you all the time," she admitted, not wanting to state that she, well, that she liked him.

"Granger?" Draco asked, turning around to face her and inching closer.

"Hm?" She asked, looking at him.

His face hovered millimeters away from hers, and Hermione could feel his warm breath tickling her lips.

"Are you trying to say that you like me?" He muttered, his eyes scanning her lips, and then looking up to meet her eyes.

 _"Merlin," he thought. "How are her eyes so beautiful?"_

Draco had never been interested in brown eyes, but something about Hermione's made him intrigued and amazed. The way they would twinkle in the light and reflect all shades of brown made him appreciate brown eyes much, much more.

She gulped. His silver eyes glinted with a hint of lust and wonder, as he placed a hand on her cheek. Hermione's words clung to her throat like superglue, and suddenly she needed water.

"Hm, Granger? The more you don't say anything, the more I'll take it as a yes," he hummed, rubbing his thumb in circles on her jaw.

"I like you, Malfoy. More than I'm willing to admit," she answered.

Draco grinned slightly, and finally placed his lips on hers. Carefully, he pressed his lips against hers, entangling his hands into her hair. Hermione put her hands on his neck, gently sliding them up and playing with his hair. As gently as he could possibly manage, he nibbled her bottom lip. This caused her to moan slightly, giving Draco a small space to slip his tongue in. He explored, running the tip of his tongue across the scar in her cheek which was from her nervous chewing, to the tiny scar on her gums from the time a curse hit her in the mouth. He could've done so many other things, but of course his Dark Mark had to sting.

Draco pulled away, smirking at the flustered Gryffindor in front of him.

"What's wrong?" She asked, worry etching her face.

"It's nothing. I have to do something."

He slid on his shirt and Hermione pouted slightly. She really enjoyed her view. Draco gathered his things, before pecking her cheek. As he made his way to the exit, he turned and smirked at her.

"Granger?"

"Yes?"

"I like you too."

* * *

Snape usually had the worse timing, but then again, Draco was always snogging someone. However, when the blonde stumbled into the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom covered in bandages and bruises, Snape figured he was doing something else.

"Mr. Malfoy, I would typically excuse your unpunctual behaviour, but you appear to have been doing something else. Of course, I would imagine you did not do quesionable activities with an animal, but did Madame Pomfrey heal you when she was intoxicated?" Snape asked the boy, bewildered.

'Salazar Slytherin, Snape! I most certainly did not fuck an animal, nor did I allow Pomfrey to heal me while she was drunk! I came here because I was interrupted, so tell me what you need so I can get back to my business," Draco answered aggressively.

Snape swallowed harshly to prevent his anger from lashing out at him, but kept him composure. "Watch your language. A Death Eater requires profession and patience. As for what I need, I need you to work on the Vanishing Cabinet. It has been three months, and you still have not fixed it. What do you require?"

"For everyone to be bloody patient. I've done all the tests and tried most repairing charms, but the Cabinet doesn't mend. It does react to emotion however, but I'm not sure what emotions fix it, but that's all I can report for now," he answered, as if he had practiced it before.

"Alright. One last thing," Snape muttered.

"Yes, sir?"

"I doubt choosing Ms. Granger to fulfill your urges is the smartest idea, considering her best friend is the boy we have to defeat."

* * *

 **A/N: A bit of a longer update, and I have a few more chapters prepared. If I type fast enough, maybe you'll get another update soon. I love all of you, and it would mean the world if you left your thoughts in the reviews. If you liked it enough, maybe favourite and add it to your library?**

 **Sincerely, Dramione Productions**


	5. Flustered Cheeks

**A/N: See, I didn't lie when I said I would update a little bit more frequently. The last chapter was a bit more fluff than anything, and addressing a few comments:**

 **1\. I changed Blaise's last name. Turns out my phone's been auto-correcting so thank you for pointing it out.**

 **2\. If you don't like how un-canon this story is, it's because Dramione isn't canon. Of course, the most realistic fanfictions about Dramione are probably the angst ones, but I'm not going to write about that any time soon. I might dabble in it, but if you want it very believable, there are amazing stories out there, such as Draconian Heart. I'm trying to make this as realistic as possible, but I'm dragging it out. I can't say what will happen because that's spoiling it, but if you stick around, maybe it will fulfill the "Draco isn't nice and he's been rude to Hermione so stop writing about their hypothetical relationship."** **Thank you for leaving that comment though. I feel like I needed to address that.**

 **Anyways, that was a very long and heavy author's note. Enjoy the story!**

* * *

Ginny Weasley knew the rules of being a best friend. She never judged Hermione once in their time together as friends, but she did consult and console.

However, when Draco Malfoy stumbled out of Hermione's dorms with his shirt buttoned weirdly, his tie not even on, and his hair ruffled, Ginny knew something was up. She was getting answers, but not everyone would be getting the right answers. Little did she know, someone would make up their own answers.

* * *

"Hermione Granger, has there been something you haven't told me?" Ginny asked, even before she came into the dorm.

It had beem a little traditon of theirs. Ginny would sleep over once every month for a few days and help Hermione keep her sanity. Frankly, she needed that more this month.

"What? Ginny, what in the world are you talking about?" Hermione sputtered, her eyebrows knotting together.

"I'm talking about the ferret that walked out of your dorm minutes ago, with his tie undone, his hair a mess, and his cheeks flustered," Ginny stated, her eyes narrowing at Hermione. She started to make a suggestive motion with her hands, causing a blush to spread across Hermione's cheeks.

"Ginny, it's not what you think! Get your mind out of the gutter for once," Hermione huffed.

Ginny rolled her eyes and walked in, placing her stuff on the couch and sitting down abruptly. "You have to tell me everything," she demanded as soon as Hermione sat down on the couch.

Knowing that she couldn't shut Ginny up unless she told her, Hermione rolled her eyes and started with Ron and skipped the kiss, before going to the punching, and skipped the kissing. Sadly, Ginny saw through the gaps.

"Hermione, he kissed you twice didn't he?" Ginny asked knowingly, and when Hermione sheepishly nodded, Ginny burst into giggles.

"He said he liked me too," Hermione whispered, her heart speeding up at those words. Ginny simply grinned.

"Godric! You're getting more action than me!" She laughed.

"I saw you and Blaise talking yesterday..." Hermione replied.

"Oh, he said he needed some help with something," Ginny's voice wavered.

The girls gossiped for an hour about various things, before Ginny looked at Hermione distressingly.

" 'Mione?" Ginny asked.

"Yes, Gin?"

"You haven't told Harry about you and Draco yet, right?"

"Yeah?" Hermione answered hesistantly.

"Hermione, Ron's going to tell him. Merlin knows what he might do. Harry's currently so stressed and..."

"And?" Hermione asked worriedly. Ginny was rarely this serious, so this caused quite some stir in Hermione's brain.

"Oh, you know him. He'll probably ask you to do favors for him or take advantage of him," Ginny mumbled, her mind blanking. Even though she wasn't with him anymore, Ginny knew him like the back of her hand. Many people were skeptical though, considering the fact that they had only been dating for around two months before they broke up. Despite this, she would remind them that they were friends before, and Ginny had a rather large crush on him for a while.

Hermione stared at the ginger blankly. "Harry? Ask me? To, well, spy?"

"He's really desperate, 'Mione. Even if Malfoy hasn't been confirmed to be a Death Eater, he still doesn't trust him."

The brunette bit her lip until she tasted the slightest bit of blood. "What am I going to do?"

"Nothing," Ginny sighed. "There's honestly nothing you can do."

* * *

"Pardon?" Draco blurted, his mouth suddenly drying up.

"Ms. Granger is quite some girl, but for you to date her now is the worst timing I have seen in years. You have to understand, you can't date her without consequences. In fact, the Dark Lord might make you spy," Snape began.

"I am not spying on her," he plainly stated.

"Mr. Malfoy," Snape warned, his voice dropping. "The Dark Lord needs information urgently. There is no better way to earn his trust than by doing that, and his trust means your life."

Draco simply gulped. "Fine, but if she gets hurt, I won't hesitate to do something terrible."

"Yes, _Mr. Malfoy._ You will obviously have the guts to go against him," Snape replied sarcastically.

Draco narrowed his eyes at him, swallowing his next words. "Trust me. I will."

* * *

Draco had stumbled into the Slytherin Common Room, his eyes scanning the area. Upon spotting his dark-skinned friend, he immediately sat next to him.

"Blaise, you're going to be absolutely shocked and think that I'm crazy, but I need your advice. I like Hermione Granger, she likes me back, but she doesn't know I'm a Death Eater," he blurted.

Blaise's eyes bulged out of their sockets and his mouth hung open with no words coming out of it for a solid minute.

"First of all, I know you're crazy about Granger. Secondly, did you drug her? And thirdly, Draco, you're a fucking idiot," he listed, his fingers massaging his temples.

"Wait, how did you know I liked her? We never talked about it?" The blonde shot back.

"You never bugged any girl as much as you bugged her, you never shut up about her, whether it's about her and Potter, her and Weasley, or just her, and you used to moan her name in your sleep," he replied, smirking at the last point.

It was Draco's turn to gasp, his face turning all sorts of colours and shapes. "I-I what? No way," he announced incredulously.

"Yes way," Blaise replied, his eyebrows wiggling suggestively. "So, how naughty were those dreams?"

"I am not telling you!"

In all honestly, the dreams Draco had were not at all dirty. Even Blaise knew those moans weren't _those_ types of moans. However, he couldn't resist teasing him, but he also wanted to know what the dreams were about.

Draco would never admit it, but he would have nightmares of losing Hermione. It would start with her and him on a date, usually a moonlight walk. They would then sit on a bench, laughing and talking. Just before they would kiss, she would let out a horrific shriek. It was either Bellatrix or Voldemort who would hold their wand to her head, cackling and constantly saying, "You've done it Draco. It's your fault. If you left her alone, we wouldn't have to do this," they taunted. It would end with him screaming and waking up in a cold sweat. _"I guess it was traumatizing enough to cause me to scream," Draco thought._

Blaise rolled his eyes, before looking at his friend, who was deep in thought. "Idiot, just say that you don't want to tell me. It's not like I want to know," he huffed.

"Okay," Draco replied, watching Blaise's face drop slightly. "However, I do need your advice on what I should do with this information," Draco hummed, his eyes darting to look at the dark-haired boy.

"Ask her out," Blaise answered, his face lighting up.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah. If she likes you, she'll be able to accept that you're a, uh, Death Eater," Blaise whispered the last part.

"And if she doesn't?"

"Well, then you'll be in deep shit. She'll tell on you to Potter, and he'll kill you for breathing in the same room as her," he said, in a matter-of-fact manner.

"Ah, yes, Pothead," Draco huffed.

* * *

Draco made his way to his dorms, only to discover that his portrait was insanely intoxicated. How and why, he wouldn't know. He did know one thing however; drunk portraits were no good with passwords.

"Hey, Hamilton," Draco barked, his voice tinged with annoyance.

"Oh, _hic,_ hey Drakiepoo," the man replied, his arm raising to greet him. Instead, Alexander's wine glass tipped and spilt the liquid all over him. The man chuckled and planted his face on the table next to him.

"Gooseberry," Draco said, hoping he could get into his dorm. He narrowed his eyes at the empty bottle of wine, and gritted his teeth. _"I'll have to te_ _ll McGonagall to change my portrait," Draco thought._

"Gooseberries... _hic,_ they taste quite good..." The founding father remarked, chuckling.

"Hamilton!"

"Sorry, I forgot the password," Alexander replied, pouting. Draco nearly growled.

"Goddammit."

* * *

 _Knock, knock, knock._

Hermione wasn't expecting visitors, especially since she only just got rid of Ginny. It was the day after, and she was still cleaning things, such as the various strands of red hair scattered everywhere. Making her way to the door, she rolled her eyes. Whoever was knocking on a portrait was an idiot.

"Hello- Oh. Malfoy."

Hermione frowned as she tried her best to cover up any slivers of skin. She was wearing her bunny pajamas, and not only was she afraid of Draco teasing her, she was also worried about his wandering eyes.

"Granger," he purred. "I need a favour.'

"What in Merlin's toenails do you need now?'

"Well, Hamilton's wasted and he won't let me into my dorms, so I was wondering if I could, perhaps, stay here?" He sheepishly asked.

Biting her lip, Hermione ruffled her hair slightly. "I don't know Malfoy..."

"Please?" He begged. Draco didn't want to stay with Pansy, considering the fact that all she would do was call him "Drakiepoo" and try to kiss him. "I'll even sleep on the couch."

Hermione laughed. "Oh, alright. But if you so much as stand too close to me, I'll break your jaw," she sighed, her face dropping into a glare.

Draco smirked. "Don't regret that decision. I just so happen to be fantastic in bed."

"And I just so happen to be fantastic at breaking things," Hermione replied, her face unchanged. Draco gulped quietly as he watched the witch accio a few blankets and pillows, before laying them neatly on the velvet couch. She hummed as she did it, and he couldn't quite place a finger on the song. Perhaps it was a muggle one.

"Mmhm. Also, are you free this Saturday?" He casually asked, leaning against the portrait frame. He started to blush, but only the slightest. He muttered a silent prayer that Hermione didn't notice.

"Uh, yes. Why?"

"Well, I wanted to know if you would like to go to Hogsmeade with me," the blonde asked, trying to keep his voice steady. Him and Blaise decided that flowers and extravagant things weren't necessary for a simple woman like Hermione, but he really wished he had something to hide behind, like a box of chocolates.

She blushed furiously, as the pink stained her cheeks. "I, well, would love to."

Letting out the air he didn't know he was holding in, Draco grinned and entered the dorms. "Perfect. Now, do you have clothes I can transfigure? Unless, of course, you would like to see my amazing body. I would usually prefer the bed, since we can easily, you know, do the deed, but I can do with the living rooms," he nonchalantly said, winking at unamused brunette.

"I did see you partially naked, and unless I'm blind, there's not much to see," she replied.

"Ouch," he muttered. Hermione laughed.

"Anyways," she began. "I'm going to sleep. Goodnight Malfoy."

"Goodnight Granger."

* * *

 **A/N: So, how was that for an update? Not long, but it's something. Don't worry if you feel like this story is going no where. There will be problems next chapter. Anyways, thank you for sticking around, especially if you read that giant first author's note. By** **the way, does anyone know of the Dramione story that features Draco saying things like "I could teach you things Ron couldn't" and its basically sex lessons? The author was on a hiatus for about 2 ish years. I honestly can't remember the title and it's killing me. I really liked the story, so if you know what it is, please let me know. Thanks!**

 **Sincerely, Dramione Productions.**


	6. And So It Ends

**A/N:** **I don't really have much else to say except that with school starting, updates will take longer. Apologizes!**

 **So for once, we shall be getting to the story a lot quicker today.** **Enjoy!**

* * *

Draco had one of the best sleeps in a while, despite the firm couch and the thin blankets.

He woke at six in the morning, his eyes scanning the ceiling, and his face still smiling from last night. Despite the dire situation he was currently in, even the smallest things made it better, although he wouldn't consider a date with Hermione Granger small.

But then a flashing thought passed through his head. _"You'll have to spy on her too."_

He got up abruptly, before groaning and scratching his head. Maybe a cup of coffee would make it better? Making his way to her kitchen, he came across a certain fluff of ginger fur.

"Merrow?" Went Crookshanks, who was licking his paws before staring straight at the annoyed Slytherin. Draco narrowed his eyes at the cat, before opening the cabinets in search of tea. When he did find some, he noticed how out of all the teas, the peach tea only had three packets compared to the green and black tea.

He chuckled, before making a cup of black coffee with some sort of muggle brand, and a cup of peach tea for the snoring brunette. Crookshanks took interest in this, for he hopped off the counter gracefully, and tangled himself around Draco's legs.

"Stop that!" He hissed. The cat looked up at him, before purring and walking off.

"He likes you," laughed Hermione. Startled, Draco gulped his coffee, before scratching his head.

"I- urm, have to go," he stuttered, dashing out of the dorms.

Hermione shook her head and glanced at the two cups on the counter. One smelt fragrently of peaches, while the other had a whisper of coffee and peppermint. She held the tea in her hands and sighed.

She was infatuated with him, and there wasn't anything she could do about it.

* * *

Draco had always liked working in the Slytherin common room. Even after earning the title of Head Boy and his own common room, there was something about the Slytherin one. Maybe it was the calming, yet mysterious atmosphere, or the lighting from the Great Lake, causing the place to shimmer, but he was partial to the place. On top of that, he did his best work there, so he never thought to find another workplace.

"Uh, excuse me?" Stuttered a small, red-haired Slytherin. He was practically shivering as his friends shoved him towards Draco as if he were a lamb to the slaughter.

"Yes?" Draco replied patiently, not looking up from his assignment. He was in a fairly good mood today, so he didn't mind entertaining a few younger people.

"Did you really shag Hermione Granger?"

Draco's head shot up from his homework and his jaw almost broke when he heard that. "What?"

"Well, there were pictures and-"

"Yo mate!" Blaise exclaimed nervously. He shooed the small crowd of kids away, and pulled a chair to sit near Draco. Draco had never been this annoyed, especially at his friend. He was getting quite ready to hear what those rascals had to say, but of course he couldn't.

"What the fuck are these children talking about?" Draco questioned, causing Blaise to furrow his brows.

"Wait, so you don't know?" The Italian asked, surprised.

"Blaise," Draco began. "What. The. Fuck. Is. Going. On?"

"Well, for starters, it's about you."

"No shit, I thought it was about the Giant Squid!"

"I mean, that's another way to refer to yourself," Blaise laughed.

"Just get to the point!" Draco shouted, scaring a few people still in the room. This included Blaise, who was now pressed against his chair firmly. If he had pressed any harder, he might have punctured a hole through it.

"There are pictures in the Great Hall. Pictures of you coming out of Granger's room with your shirt not even buttoned. Mate, even if you did shag her, you should be more discrete about it!"

Draco stared at him blankly with his mouth agape. "Excuse me?"

"Did you sleep with Granger?' Blaise queried.

"No! Of course not!" He blurted.

"The rumor is that Granger got you to sleep with her, took some pictures, and posted them for revenge. I personally don't believe it but, hey, anything can happen."

Draco bore holes into his mate's head with a stare. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Well, that doesn't matter," Blaise quickly blurted, laughing weakly. "You should just head down to the Great Hall and take a look yourself."

* * *

After finishing Care of Magical Creatures, Hermione made her way to the Great Hall for lunch, for she had a bone to pick with Ron. She ended up being stopped by Pansy, who was wearing a large smirk that spanned from ear to ear.

"What the hell do you want, Parkinson?" Hermione scowled. She couldn't be bothered to deal with her, but for Pansy to stop her like this meant something. Something terrible.

"Well, _Granger_ , I have some wonderful news for you," she crooed, twirling a strand of black hair around a pale finger. Pansy leaned casually against a column, a smirk embellishing her smug look.

"And? I don't have much time," Hermione huffed, getting frustrated. She gripped her textbooks tightly with one hand and her wand with the other, just in case something were to happen.

"You see, Drakie-poo has been avoiding me. Now, I wouldn't know why, but when I saw him stumble out of your dorm in a mess, I just assumed. Fitting the pieces together, I realize you are quite the sly whore," she replied, picking her nails. Her dark eyes glimmered dangerously as she stared at the Gryffindor.

"And? That's what you think, and even people born without brains are entitled to their opinions, so go on," Hermione blurted. She processed what she said, and she almost choked. Pansy glared at her, gripping her hand into a fist. She walked towards the Golden Girl, her head about to burst from anger.

"Well, I happened to take a brilliant moving picture, and Weasel's gossip helped move my story along," Pansy hummed.

"What?"

She rolled her eyes and sighed. Hermione was quite smart, but perhaps not in the way Pansy thought she was. She was simply too pure, which made this all the more fun.

"Granger, you are so fucking dim. Weasley told everyone who would listen about your secret relationship with _my_ boyfriend, and I happen to have pictures to back it up. When Draco sees this, he'll get angry at you because a pureblood with a mudblood is a disgrace, and I'll get to comfort him."

Hermione gritted her teeth. It was one thing to insult her. Another to destroy her private life.

"You're a fucking bitch."

Pansy cackled. "I know. Have fun taking down the pictures!"

She watched the brunette run off, and she couldn't help giggling. Pansy loved having people twirled around her little finger.

* * *

Hermione had tiredly entered the Great Hall, and only Ginny and Luna were to be found, enchanting the pictures off the wall.

"Oh thank Merlin, you two are here," Hermione laughed, her breaths short from the running.

"Hermione Granger, what the hell? I thought you and Malfoy were on good terms?" Ginny barked, gripping the pictures in her hands.

"Ginny, it's not what you think. Parkinson had set this entire thing up in an attempt to get Draco back into her arms," Hermione explained.

Luna sighed. "Of course she did. I think she has a bad case of the Sacques. They've been known to cause jealousy and envy."

"Well," Ginny growled. "Whatever she has, she most definitely has a stick up her arse!"

The red-head started to get down from the bench in a mad fury, when Hermione stopped her quickly.

"Ginny, just go find Malfoy. I think he's going to misunderstand the situation, so please try calm him down at least? And no hexing," Hermione pleaded, stating the last bit sternly. Ginny pouted.

"Are you sure? I think a quick hex would serve Parkinson quite nicely."

"Ginny," Hermione warned as an eyebrow slowly rose.

'Oh alright," she acquiesced. Admitting defeat, she dashed out of the Great Hall, trying to find the Slytherin.

The two girls watched her leave, before Luna turned to Hermione. 'I believe it's just the two of us. We'd better get to work," Luna declared, smiling. She continued to charm the papers off, causing them to disappear.

Hermione could only smile back, as they both began to charm the rest of the pictures off.

* * *

Draco had found one of the vexing images in a hallway, and even he admitted that it was quite convincing with the right rumours. If it wasn't him in the picture, he would've trusted it too.

His fist closed around the photo, before catching some writing in the back. Carefully spreading the paper, he read the small message, his eyes widening.

 _"Hey Malfoy. I got you,_

 _Love, Hermione."_

A small growl escaped his trembling lips, as he began to tear up the photo. Draco started to trudge to the Great Hall, hoping to make it for dinner.

He dropped the pieces on the floor next to him, hoping that he could erase the stupid picture from his head.

It didn't work.

* * *

It didn't take much for Ginny to get into the Slytherin Common room. As always, Blaise would accidentally tell her the password. Most students gasped when they saw the Weasley walk into the room, but Blaise simply sat on one of the couches, unamused.

"Weasley," he hummed, his eyes scanning her livid expression.

"Where the hell is Malfoy?" She simply hissed, ignoring his staring.

"Well, the last time I checked, he was charging for the Great Hall since your best friend broke his trust," Blaise nonchalantly said.

"Zabini, I swear to Merlin, you don't know shit," Ginny snarled.

"Whoa, whoa, calm down. I'll help you find him," he sighed, getting up.

"That's more like it," she said, he voice softening. Blaise stood next to her, before looking down at the small red-head.

"So, uh, what exactly happened?"

* * *

By the time Luna and Hermione finished taking down the pictures, dinnertime had come around.

Of course, they were surrounded by harsh whispers from all the houses about the ordeal, but being around Harry Potter had taught her not to pay attention. However, the raven-haired boy wasn't eating with them, which left Hermione with Ron. Luna had tried to sit with them, but Hermione urged her not to. She did have to deal with him eventually.

Ron didn't say anything the entire hour, except when he first came in.

"Harry wants to see you in the common rooms about your... engagement," he simply stated.

Things got a little more interesting when Draco finally barged in, causing a huge disturbance in the hall. As Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape stood to stop things from getting out of hand, Professor Dumbledore simply waved his hand and summoned a bag of popcorn.

"Now, now, Minerva and Severus, things are finally getting interesting," the old man mused, smiling. The two professors looked at him as if he were a monkey, simply eating a bag of muggle snacks.

Draco grabbed Hermione's arm, and before anyone could stop him, he dragged Hermione out of the hall without a word.

* * *

 **A/N: So, this chapter was not good. I really don't like it, but I can't be bothered to change it, so for now, I hope you enjoy. Maybe if you like it, review and like?**

 **Sincerely, Dramione Productions**


	7. Dual-ended

**A/N: Hello again! I'm not exactly sure where this story is going anymore, so uh... have this**

* * *

"Malfoy, let go!" Hermione shrieked.

With a harsh toss of her wrist, Draco finally did. He didn't turn to face her, however. Instead, he stood far away from her, refraining from eye contact.

"What the hell, Malfoy? The rumors are bad enough, but for you to just drag me out like that?!"

"Rumors, huh?" The pale boy muttered, turning to face Hermione. "Is that the lie you're trying to use?"

"What do you mean? You don't actually believe them, do you?" Hermione sputtered, bewildered. She watched his eyes shift slightly from grey to black.

"Goddamit, Granger! I should've know this was your little game. Some sick fucking trick to mess with my head, to get information for Potter," he shouted, causing ringing in Hermione's ears.

Mouth agape, she didn't know how to react. She almost laughed at her stupidity, realizing that Draco Malfoy had not changed.

"Is that what you think? That I would use you like that? Well, Malfoy, you better watch your fucking back. Because if I'm going to do something like that, I would have made it absolutely terrible."

Without another word, Hermione dashed off quickly, leaving Draco behind in a smoke. The pale boy stared mindlessly at the spot she once stood, before sighing.

At least he could concentrate on his task.

* * *

She told herself she wouldn't cry over a boy, especially Draco, but something ticked. Hermione sniffled slightly, before wiping away the few tears that managed to sneak out.

She made her way to the Gryffindor Common room, in an attempt to deal with Harry. Maybe this nightmare would be over soon. When she got the portrait open, she simply frowned at the somber boy sitting on the couch.

"Harry, please listen, I-"

Harry gave her a cold glance, his eyes piercing through her. She caught a chill, and shivered, before carefully sitting on the far end of the couch.

"Hermione, I've never questioned you. You always seemed to know what you were doing, so I let it. But this," he started, his voice sharp. "This is too much."

"Harry, he's not as terrible as you made him sound! He's warmer, and kinder, and-" Hermiome broke off, realizing he wouldn't be reasonable.

"Don't you understand!?" Harry roared. "Whatever act he puts on now means nothing. He's hiding the fact that he's a Death Eater!"

Hermione's lip began to tremble and she couldn't face his raging eyes. They shot through her like a bullet piercing through flesh.

"Harry, please. Please just understand," Hermione choked, her voice tearing at the seams.

"Bloody hell, Hermione, why didn't you tell me before all of this started? This wouldn't have blown up if you just came to me first."

"Because I was scared!" She shouted. "You were too busy with whatever Dumbledore's been telling you to do, and I knew exactly how you would react if I told you I liked Malfoy."

Harry looked at the shaking girl with a mildly shocked expression, and sighed.

"Make this useful. Get as much information as you can from him," Harry plainly stated, his voice remaining steady.

Hermione simply nodded, before getting up and leaving. "Sure," she squeaked painfully. She took a few strides to the door, before exiting and allowing it to slowly shut.

It took Hermione leaving and a solid three minutes after for Harry to realize how badly he fucked up. Maybe the stress was getting to him, because he finally processed the entire conversation. Maybe he felt betrayed that Hermione didn't tell him first. Whatever it was, he felt like shit.

Cussing loudly at himself, he rubbed his temples and stared at a wall, hoping that he could undo his words.

* * *

It had been a few weeks since Draco had last visited the Vanishing Cabinet. He hadn't made any progress, with him ending where he started.

It was a curious piece of magical hardware, damaged by a stupid ghost. If he wasn't forced to fix it, he would spend months studying it, as it truly was intriguing. He shot a few fixing charms at it without avail.

 _"Why didn't they just bring this to Borgin? He seemed to want to fix it," thought Draco._ He punched the Cabinet, hoping that would suddenly spark a new idea, before slumping to the floor.

"I highly doubt punching it would cause it to work, Mr. Malfoy," Snape drawled.

Surprised, Draco immediately looked up, gripping his wand tightly. "Leave me alone."

"After that ordeal with Ms. Granger, that wouldn't be right," he said.

"I'm doing what you told me to! Its fucking hard, to do it from scratch!" Draco snapped. His eyes hardened at the teacher, and his face flushed.

"Didn't Borgin give you instructions?" Snape queried, ignoring the cusses.

Draco frowned, annoyed at how thick his skull could be. He would never understand what life was life for him, how he now had no freedom.

"That fucking piece of werewolf shit gives me the vaguest details on what to do! As far as I know, it needs a password that's been lost!" He screamed, before slouching against the Cabinet. He was so tired, so over the Death Eater craze. He wanted out. He wanted to be able to walk the halls without whispers. He closed his eyes momentarily, before Snape pulled him up aggressively.

"You will finish this project, or else the Dark Lord will kill you," he said, refusing to look at the boy.

"Yes sir." Draco's jaw locked.

Snape loosened his grip, watching the empty shell drop to the floor. _"What's wrong with him? He never cares this much about a girl," Snape thought._

"Get to work. Now." A breeze from the flick of his robes hit Draco in the face, as Snape left the room.

Draco only noticed how wet his face was when he stood up to look at himself. His eyes were pink and puffed up with the silent crying, and he watched his mouth as it moved.

"Pathetic."

He examined the way his spit splattered on the cabinet, and saw how it absorbed into the wood. _"If only Granger was here, she'd know what to do," he sighed._ Glancing at the cabinet again, he gave up and left. Maybe next time, it would work.

* * *

It seemed as if suddenly, the only thing the entire school was talking about was Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy. Everywhere the pale boy went, whispers followed him. He would've been fine, if it was about his alleged alliance to Voldemort, but he caught the faintest whisper of "I bet Malfoy used her for her body", it took all of his strength to not punch the fourth-year.

Of course, then he would remember that he was conveniently sharing a dorm with Hermione, and he considered putting up with Theo's snoring and Blaise's... everything, but that would only last so long until he would behead them. As Draco approached the portrait, he figured that it might be easier to just avoid her.

Thankfully, Hermione was in her room, which allowed Draco to make himself a cup of coffee. Hesitantly, he also made her a cup of peach tea. Crookshanks curiously hopped onto the counter, curling around the warm cup.

Draco paused, then gently stroked the cat, putting his coffee cup down. "This is lame, isn't it?"

"Meow?" The ginger cat replied, looking at the Slytherin with glowing eyes.

"Yeah," Draco sighed. "I thought so too." The boy stopped patting the cat and picked up his cup, then made his way to his room. As he walked there, there was a knock on the portrait.

* * *

Ginny, Blaise, and Luna sat in a circle in the library, each of them looking at each other.

"Well? What now?" Blaise blurted, disturbing the concentrated peace between the trio. Ginny looked up from her book, and Luna cast a sideways glance at him from her knitting.

"I don't know Blaise. We could let them solve it themselves?" Ginny offered, shrugging.

"Draco's never gonna solve anything by himself. He's the type to use and burn," Blaise replied.

Luna pondered the problem for a minute. "Well, isn't the Hogsmeade weekend coming up soon? Maybe we can set something up then?"

Ginny and Blaise grinned, before exchanging a devious look. "Luna, you just gave us the best idea." Ginny got up, picking up her books and wand.

"We're going to set them up."

* * *

 **A/N: I'm so sorry, this is so short. I've been having major writing blocks so I kinda barfed this one up. I hope you still enjoy?**

 **Sincerely, Dramione Productions**


End file.
